EQUALITY GUIdE - KU Leuven

82 Equality Guide
nations, it was decided to use the factor ‘faculty’ instead of ‘discipline’. This option still
enables the division of students into ‘typically’ male and female fields of study. Moreover,
it facilitates the comparison with the real number of male and female students in
each faculty.
2.4.1.1. Studying at Ghent University
The first theme deals with the experience of studying at Ghent University. The specific
questions were based on a thorough reading of studies with reference to the study and
career choices of boys and girls. Marlies Lacante divides young people’s motivation to
choose a certain discipline or career into three groups, viz. personal motives, economic
motives, and social/altruistic motives 89 . According to Lacante, the deciding factors in
choosing a discipline are the personal beliefs and the urge to develop one’s personality,
talents and abilities. Although these factors re-occur in Van Aerschot’s study, other
motives are thought to play a more significant role, such as a clear interest in the subjects,
talents, job security and a childhood dream 90 . Van Aerschot also analysed the
motives behind the choices male and female students make. In her opinion, girls are
on the look-out for disciplines or jobs with an emphasis on social aspects (e.g. direct
contact with people, helping others), whereas boys are rather led by promotion prospects.
Furthermore, boys take into account ! more than girls do ! their grammar
school’s study results and the status of a certain discipline or career 91 .
Hoornaert distinguishes between individual (internal) and social (external) factors 92 .
The choices one makes are largely determined by the internal aspects one attributes to
a discipline or career -such as the opportunities for self-fulfilment- as well as the accordance
with one’s world view and principles. Additionally, certain external factors cannot
be ignored, such as the expectations of friends and family, the status of a job, the
careers of parents and the attention the job gets in grammar school. Hoornaert states
that, for girls, the combination of internal and external factors often results in an inner
struggle, because their interests in ‘softer’ disciplines do not correspond with the social
pressure to succeed. Likewise, boys experience more pressure to choose ‘harder’ disciplines
leading to job opportunities with a high status. Our survey also examines to what
extent these individual and social factors really influence the study choices of the students
at Ghent University.
In Flanders, the academic staff is often employed in the university that they attended as
students themselves. Therefore, the survey not only contains questions about the interest
in an academic career, but also probes the students’ expectations and wishes of
Ghent University as an employer. Obviously, the results were sex-segregated in order
89
90
91
92
Deleu (2005), op. cit.: Lacante.
Van Aerschot et al. (2003), op. cit., p. 65-66.
Van Aerschot et al. (2003), op. cit., p. 68-70.
Hoornaert (1999), op. cit., p. 18-20.